Through the Snow(barry)storm
by carameltootsieroll
Summary: Life can get stormy sometimes, but at least Caitlin Snow and Barry Allen have each other to rely on. A series of one-shots (AU and Flash Universe) centered on our beloved couple, Snowbarry. (Open for prompts! Following the A-Z format)
1. Amusement Park

_**A/N: Hullo everyone! This is my attempt at a collection of one-shots centering around our beloved couple, Snowbarry.**_ **Honestly, I don't know where this is going. A little plot bunny started nagging me when my family took a trip to a local water park. So here it is, the product of the said plot bunny!**

 **Also, I plan for this fic to be a series of one-shots, with alphabetical prompts. As you can see, this one's entitled Amusement Park :D**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ **I do not own The Flash aww a** **nd the amusement park and roller coaster mentioned here are fictional. Lol.**

* * *

 **AMUSEMENT PARK**

Fantasy Land Amusement Park, Central City

January 21st, Friday 16:08 pm

"Roller coaster?" Caitlin gulped, tilting her head upwards as she squinted against the sunlight. She could vaguely see the outline of the amusement park ride, towering a good ten stories high and complete with three loops. She swallowed hard and faced her friends again. Cisco was beaming from cheek to cheek, his eyes wild with excitement. Barry was bouncing on his toes, looking as if he were ready to speed his way to the front of the line to ride the roller coaster.

"Um," she began, stepping back before the boys could join the long line of eager risk-takers. "I think I'll pass."

Barry stared at her, his mouth hanging open. "Hey, but you _need_ to ride the Triple Turnover! It's the best attraction in this park!"

Caitlin winced. She didn't see how a ride ten-stories high was, in any way, exciting. Just looking at it made her stomach churn with fear. "Nope. I'll pass," she insisted, stepping back again.

"Don't try to force her," Cisco told Barry. "She's not really the extreme rides kind of girl."

Barry's expression softened, causing Caitlin to blush. Great, now he saw her as a coward. She glared at Cisco before flashing Barry a nervous smile. "Yeah, I'm not the type to ride extreme rides. I'll pass. I can wait for you guys by the exit."

Barry took a second before stepping out the line, following her. "Are you sure?" he asked her.

Caitlin shrugged. "Yeah. I'll wait for you guys by the exit."

Barry didn't look convinced. "I'll wait with you if you want," he offered.

Cisco rolled his eyes. "So what, I'll ride the Triple Turnover by myself? How lame is that!"

Caitlin wanted to slap her friend so he would shut up. Cisco really wasn't helping the situation. It was bad enough that he suggested going to an amusement park for their day-off. Caitlin wasn't exactly _scared_ of rides, but she wasn't a big fan of barreling down rickety rides at a 100 km/h.

Caitlin huffed. "Fine, I'll ride the freaking Triple Turnover," she muttered, stepping back in the line behind Cisco.

Barry raised an eyebrow up at her. "Are you sure? You don't need to ride it if you're scared, you know?"

Caitlin felt as if she had been slapped. "Me? Scared?" she choked. Cisco made a big "O" with his mouth and looked away, as if to avoid the upcoming confrontation.

Barry scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply – "

"I'm not scared," Caitlin retorted, crossing her arms firmly across her chest. She stuck her chin out to prove her point, but deep inside, she knew it was a half-lie. She was always scared of things that went too fast. She was scared whenever she rode with Cisco going home from S.T.A.R. Labs; his speedometer always never dipped below 120km/h. She was scared of going uncontrollably fast on her bicycle, for God's sake! She hated the rush she got in her stomach and the feeling of wind whistling on her face and through her hair set her nerves on edge.

Cisco had turned around to face them again. "Ha, say that again without blanching and we might just believe you, Dr. Snow."

The line moved forward and people cheered excitedly. Caitlin felt her stomach drop. _Shit. I should have backed out when I could._

"You sure about this? We can always go out if you don't think you can make it," Barry told her gently as they were pushed ahead with the crowd.

This was seriously the last thing Caitlin wanted to do, ride on her first extreme roller coaster with Barry Allen by her side. She'd probably throw up all over him, oh God, that couldn't happen.

"Just hold my hand, you'll be okay," he said, distracting her from her thoughts. "This ride just goes a 120 km/h, you'll be fine! I travel at the speed of – "

"Light," Caitlin managed to finish his sentence. She smiled up at him shakily. "Just please, forgive me if I throw up on you half way through that second loop." She frowned as she looked back up at the ride.

Barry laughed. "You got this, Caitlin Snow. " They walked forward and reached the docking area. Caitlin swallowed hard as she stepped in the cart, Barry following behind her. Cisco had taken the cart in front of them, and a pretty, blonde, girl sat next to him.

Barry elbowed Caitlin and chuckled at how Cisco was smoothly trying to inch up closer to the girl. Caitlin laughed weakly, her fear still distracting her.

"Cisco, you are sooo embarrassing," Barry laughed.

"Ha ha, yeah," Caitlin replied. The metal bars came down over their shoulders and chest, and Caitlin felt short of breath. This was it, she was going to ride her first roller coaster. "Oh God, I don't think I can do this."

"You can! Trust me, just scream it out and you'll be fine. No one has ever died on this roller coaster, I think," Barry said, shrugging.

"Well, you can't die from roller coasters, but you _can_ die from a heart attack." Caitlin gulped. "And the way my heart is beating right now, I'm pretty sure that's not a far off idea."

"Dr. Snow, if in any case that happens, I'm going to make sure we sue this amusement park and have them rename it the Caitlin Snow Park. Sound like a good deal?"

Caitlin punched him lightly on the shoulder. Why did Barry Allen have to be so dashingly amusing sometimes? He always knew how to make her laugh.

"Please keep your hands and feet inside the cart at all times. Enjoy the ride!" a female's voice on the speaker boomed.

The cart lurched forward, and with a chill up her spine, Caitlin realized that the ride had begun. She felt Barry squeeze her hand tightly. The cart tilted backward as it climbed up the steep slope, throwing Caitlin's hair back, straining her neck. She dared not look down or around her, for fear of realizing how high they actually were?

Did she forget to mention that she had a fear of heights, too? This explained why she had chosen the life of a bio-engineer in the laboratory. Scientists didn't have to deal with heights or speed on a daily basis. That was Barry's job.

She shut her eyes tight, her muscles taut. "Barry, is it too late to back out? I don't think I do this," she murmured through her clenched jaw.

Barry's voice sounded way relaxed considering how high up they were. Was he really this used to the _extremes_? "Um, honestly? Yeah – "

He didn't have the opportunity to finish his sentence as at that moment, the cart suddenly lurched forward and tipped over the highest point.

"OH MY GOD!" Caitlin screamed. Everything blurred around her and she felt the wind in her face and the butterflies in her stomach and the rush of adrenaline. She felt weightless, her muscles drawn so tight, she was sure she would get lactic acid fermentation in them after this ride. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the metal bar in-front of her.

Caitlin shut her eyes. _Oh God, oh God I'm going to die._

She could faintly hear Barry yelling from beside her. "Caitlin!" he yelled from above the wind. "Open your eyes! Raise your hands up!"

Her muscles were still drawn tight, her fists still clenched around the metal bar. She was scared that if she let go of herself for just a bit, she'd fall off the ride.

"Caitlin! Try it!" Barry yelled.

Slowly, she squinted. Everything was a blur, a rush of colors. Then she opened her eyes.

And she didn't regret it.

They were high up, ten stories high in the sky. Then suddenly they were rushing down towards the ground, so quickly, Caitlin had to remember that she wasn't free falling. Then they were up again, going on the second loop, and she had not thrown up on Barry yet! Barry seemed to remember this, and he glanced at Caitlin for a second to smile at her. Caitlin would have smiled back, if she weren't so busy screaming her head off.

They were twisting now, right and left, Caitlin was scared she would be thrown off her seat. _Scared…_ Wait. That wasn't the right word anymore. More like, _thrilled._

They were riding the third loop now, and Caitlin felt the blood in her body rush up to her head as they did a 360-degree turn.

Then just as quickly as it began, the ride came to a halt.

There was a POOOOOF! sound and the metal bars lifted off their shoulders. Caitlin couldn't wipe the stupid grin off her face. She had done it! She had actually ridden an extreme roller coaster!

"Please exit towards your right. Have a nice day!"

Caitlin got up shakily, following Barry's lead as they walked out. "Oh my God! Barry! I actually did it! I rode the Triple Turnover! I think I wanna do it again!"

Cisco and Barry staggered over to a nearby bench, where Cisco collapsed and Barry leaned over the wooden frame.

"Guys?"

"Uuhhhhhh," Cisco moaned, throwing his arm over his face. "I think I'll pass."

"What about the Flash? Are you up for another go?"

Barry swallowed hard, and Caitlin noted that his face had gone slightly green. "Just give me a couple of minutes."

Caitlin shook her head and smiled. "I can't believe I survived that thing!"

Barry managed a weak smile. "I can't believe it either," he said. He reached out to squeeze Caitlin's hand, sending shivers down her spine.

"Thanks," she told him. "Your advice really helped me."

Barry smirked. "Which one? To open your eyes, or to hold my hand?"

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ **I don't know about you guys, but I could totally see myself in Caitlin's character here. I am** _ **not**_ **a big fan of roller coasters either. Heh.**

 **Tell me what you think in your reviews! Hope you guys stick around for the next chapter! I've got lots of cheesier, fluffier Snowbarry scenes in-store for you!**


	2. Breathe

_**A/N:**_ **This one-shot was inspired by veryyyy recent and personal events. Really don't know what the reception will be like from you guys, but I'm hoping for the best! (Also grabbed some inspiration from the fact that Grant Gustin's gf irl is a dancer!) Aaanndd, I know I've entitled a chapter in my other story,** _ **Infatuation**_ **, "Breathe" also….but this will be an entire different story, kay? NOW, READ!**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ **I don't own The Flash!**

 **BREATHE  
 _Alternate Universe_  
**

 _Two childhood friends, one dream and love for the same art._

Bolshoi Ballet Academy, Moscow, Russia

June 4, Saturday 9:30pm

* * *

God, she was nervous. The audition had ended thirty minutes ago, and yet here she still was; her knees drawn up to her chest, head buried in-between her legs as she tried to calm her breathing. She had that bad habit of hyperventilating when things got too tough for her. _Breath, Caitlin, breathe._

She needed this opportunity badly, this scholarship with the Bolshoi Ballet Academy. If she walked away from these auditions without one, that could mean the end of her ballet career. Her parents couldn't afford the tuition here; and heck, she still had to pay for boarding in this country!

Well, she could always continue her ballet training back in New York…but this was the Bolshoi Ballet they were talking about here. She belonged here. She knew she was meant for this.

 _Breathe, Caitlin!_

"Hey, you alright there?" a familiar voice interrupted her from her fitful solitude.

Her head flew back at once. "I'm f-fine," she stammered, pushing a strand of her hair that had come lose from her bun. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"Really? Because it doesn't seem so," the boy countered. Caitlin squinted up at him, trying to make out his facial features as they were obscured by his shadow. He kneeled down next to her then and offered a small smile.

"Barry," she breathed, his name a familiar and comforting one on her lips. She threw her arms around his neck, holding him tight for a few more seconds than necessary. Of course he would be here too, stupid Caitlin! "I didn't see you during the rehearsals in the day! Where were you! I haven't heard from you all month and you turn up here, in Bolshoi! Where have you been?"

The words came spilling out of Caitlin's mouth, Barry had to take a seconds before replying. "I've been busy, and so have you. We've both been training for the auditions, haven't we? And this morning, I was with the other boys downstairs in the rehearsal hall." He smirked. "You girls are lucky, you got to audition onstage."

Caitlin nearly threw up in her mouth at the thought of being onstage again. "The Bolshoi theatre is _huge!_ " Caitlin murmured her voice suddenly soft.

Barry rolled his eyes. "No, duh!" he said, shoving her gently. "But didn't it help your performance? I love auditions onstage. They help me envision that I'm at an actual performance, and I get to push myself to perform, well, at performance level."

Caitlin bit her lip. She thought back to the way she had performed earlier. Her _barre_ was pretty okay. Her plies had been soft and her jetes were strong. Her _adagio_ had been quite wobbly though, and she had almost fallen over during her _promenade._ She had also struggled with her pirouettes earlier, for some strange reason. She had only managed to do wobbly single turns. Okay, that was bad. That was really bad. Wobbly single turns were _not_ going to get her in the Bolshoi Ballet Academy.

"Caitlin?" Barry interrupted her again. This time his hand was on her shoulder, a comforting gesture that sent tingles of electricity down her spine. "You're spacing out again."

Caitlin took a shuddering breath. "I'm sorry…it's just that, my audition was horrible." She swallowed hard, her eyes smarting. "Barry, I don't think I'm going to make it."

"Hey! Don't say that!" he scolded her. "Caitlin, this was _our_ dream, remember?" He brought his arm up and waved it in an arc. "Caitlin Snow and Barry Allen, principal dancers at the Bolshoi Ballet!"

Caitlin was able to laugh at this. "Yeah, yeah it was our dream," she finally said. "And it still is."

She still remembered how it all started. They were both four years young when their parents had brought them to their first ballet class back in New York. Caitlin and Barry had become the best of friends through their years spent together at the studio. Caitlin remembered the day he had approached her, in his too-loose white T-shirt and sagging black "tights".

" _Hi! I'm Barry. What's your name?"_

" _Caitlin Snow," she had replied, giving him a skeptical head-to-toe look. "You don't look like you're dressed properly for a ballet class."_

"Why are you smiling like that?" present-day Barry interrupted her…yet again.

Caitlin shook her head. "Nothing. I just remembered our first conversation. You were in those sloppy tights. You looked hilarious!"

She thought she caught Barry redden.

"And look at you now," she said. "You're all grown up and off auditioning for the most prestigious ballet company in the world."

Barry gave her an affectionate smile, which warmed her up. "So are you." He laced his pinky finger with hers, and Caitlin felt it again; that tingle down her spine. She had always had a soft spot for Barry. They had grown up together, spent their childhood and teenage years together. They had shared their formative years together, as fellow dancers, as best friends. Barry had been there to witness her first solo when she was thirteen, the Kitri Act 3 variation. Caitlin had kept Barry strong despite all the teasing he got for dancing ballet. "Real men don't lift weights, they lift women!" she would shout at the people who laughed at Barry.

Caitlin and Barry. Barry and Caitlin.

They shared one love and dream for the same art form.

Barry and Caitlin. Caitlin and Barry.

It was them against the world.

 _But what if I don't make it?_ the tiny voice in Caitlin's head nagged. _Then it won't be Caitlin and Barry against the world._

Caitlin's eyes stung again and her breath hitched. Her nose hurt all of a sudden.

 _Then you'll never get to live out your dream with him, dancing side by side, sharing the stage together every night. What if Barry ended up sharing the stage with a different girl?_

"Caitlin, you're crying."

Caitlin rubbed her nose, swiping the tears that had found their way down her cheeks. "I know," she snapped. Then later, "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have snapped. I just – I can't – Barry, I don't know what to do if I don't make it in the Bolshoi Academy. I d-don't want t-to go b-back home. I belong here. W-we belong here."

She was crying too hard now, her words swallowed by her breaths.

Barry pulled her closer to his body. "Caitlin," he told her gently, rubbing her back. "Breathe."

Her body was like a missing puzzle piece that fit perfectly against Barry's frame. Her back was against his chest and her head fit perfectly into the space between Barry's shoulder and his chin. His arms found their way around her waist and they stayed there for some time as Caitlin tried to steady her breaths and Barry cuddled her into comfort.

"You always hyperventilate when you're upset." he said, breaking the silence.

Caitlin sniffled. She had lost track of time. She had no idea how many minutes had passed since Barry had pulled her into this position. The backstage of the theatre, however, had started to get quitter. There were only a few lights still on and the stage crew had started to pack up. Barry didn't seem to mind, though. He seemed content to wait until Caitlin was in the proper emotional state to walk back to their temporary dorms.

"Yeah, I do. It sucks," Caitlin murmured, pushing further into him. She enjoyed the way his body gave off warmth in the cold backstage area. She could feel his abdominal muscles contracting with each breath he took. He smelled like soap and sweat, a familiar scent to her now that they were both so far away from home.

"Caitlin, please don't be scared anymore. You're an amazing dancer, and if there's one of us who will get the scholarship here at the Bolshoi, I'm sure it'll be you."

Caitlin's vision got blurry again. "But I don't want it to be just me." She sat bolt uprtight suddenly and turned to face him. His nose was just inches away from hers. "Barry, this is _our_ dream. We're going to share that stage together, every night, as principal dancers."

Then Barry did something that surprised her.

He leaned forward and kissed her.

Right on the lips.

Caitlin thought she was going to start hyperventilating again. Barry had never kissed her like this. Sure, there had been chaste pecks on the cheek and forehead, but he had never kissed her _lips._ Or rather, _mouth._

She had always had a soft spot for him, but they were both so busy with their ballet training that they had never had the time to actually _flirt_.

Yet here they were right now, kissing backstage at the Bolshoi theatre. Wasn't this every ballet couple's dream?

Barry pulled away for a second, touching his nose to hers. "Caitlin, whatever happens, I want you to know that I am so proud of how far you've grown as a dancer. I hope we both get in the Academy. I want to spend the rest of my career with you by my side. I want to share every stage I perform on, with you."

Caitlin giggled, shushing him with another kiss. His mouth parted and suddenly his hands were tight on her waist. The only barrier between his hands and her hips was the thin black leotard she was wearing. She pushed her hands into his chest, curling her fingers around the cotton fabric of his shirt like she wanted to slide it off his arms. "Barry Allen, why have you never asked me out before?" she breathed into his mouth.

His hands were travelling up her sides now, and he slid them all the way to her back, his cold fingers making contact with her bare skin. At this question, he pulled away briefly and they locked eyes. "Actually, I have a better idea." He stood up suddenly, startling Caitlin. Then he offered his hand out to her. "Caitlin Snow, may I ask to share a dance with you."

Caitlin gaped up at him. "Where are we even going to dance in here? Backstage? And _what_ are we going to dance?" She knew the last question was kind of stupid, but ballet dancers were so used to choreography, that if you threw them on a dance floor for an impromptu dance battle, they'd freeze.

Barry shrugged and pointed at the empty stage. "There?"

Caitlin took his hand but frowned. "Would they allow us?"

A stage man walked past them and Barry waved his hand out. "мы можем использовать этап?" Barry asked.

The man nodded. "Мы закрываем в пять минут."

Caitlin looked at Barry incredulously. "Since when could you speak in Russian?" she asked him. _Since when did you get so damn attractive, Barry Allen?_

Barry winked at her and pulled her along. "Well, I've been practicing for our stay here in Moscow."

And they danced onstage. He twirled her, lifted her into the air, swung her around. Caitlin wasn't even sure if they were dancing ballet, or jazz, or ballroom, but she knew they were dancing _together._

At least for tonight, they got to share the stage.

It was Caitlin and Barry. Barry and Caitlin.

At least for tonight, it was them against the world.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ **I honestly do not know what I just wrote up there, I think my fingers just went on auto-pilot and this entire one-shot happened. Aaaahhhhh my heart just poured out and this one-shot centered on ballet was born. I hope you guys enjoyed it? Because I really enjoyed writing this. Phew.**

 **Reviews, please?**


	3. Cherish

_**A/N:**_ **I'm sorry I disappeared for quite some time! Had some issues with my…um, life, and my schedule became pretty hectic for a while. But I'm back now! Yaaay did you guys miss me? Jk. Probably not. HAHA anyway, here's the third one-shot in this story!**

 **This one-shot was inspired by the tumblr page** _ **letters to crushes**_ **. You guys should check it out if you're feeling a bit lovelorn hehe**

 **Also, this one-shot is dedicated to my beloved friend,** _ **RadCherishIsEve**_ **!**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ **STILL DON'T OWN THE FLASH! BUMMER.**

* * *

 **CHERISH**

" _I hope he cherishes each and every single moment he has with you as his wife. He probably isn't aware how many other guys would kill to be in his position, to be able to cherish the moments with you."_

Barry's Apartment, Central City

Saturday, 11:35pm

Dear Caitlin,

You have no idea how happy I am for you, or at least, how happy I'm _trying_ to be for you. You're getting married tomorrow! I remember how you told me you've always wanted a white gown made of lace and a train of silken white – not too long, though. You wanted to have your wedding outdoors, after all, and a long white train wouldn't be practical.

Of course you probably don't even remember divulging this information to me. Dr. Snow, you were in fact, pissed drunk on the night that you spilled your heart out to me. And I , Barry Allen, with the stupid yet inexcusably convenient ability to metabolize alcohol quickly, was a hundred percent sober on the night that we both decided to "move on".

Okay, now I'm sounding cheesy beyond measure. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that, that night meant a lot to me. I don't care if you embarrassed yourself that night, or nearly puked on me even, because that night, I got to know the real you. The real Caitlin Snow, without the lab coat, without the title "Doctor" attached to her name.

That night, I learned that you only liked your drinks iced to the brim. You loved the color red. You've always wanted to become a physician, but you decided to pursue a doctorate degree in biology to become a scientist, a bioengineer. You loved to sing; in secret when you're sober, loudly and onstage after three shots of vodka and two Margaritas. And while I was tucking you in bed after that long night, you murmured to me about how you wanted your wedding gown to be perfect; white lace, silken, and smooth. And I smiled to myself upon hearing that, because I could already imagine how stunningly beautiful you'd look in that gown. But I also felt a pang of sadness for I knew I wouldn't be the man waiting for you down the aisle. It would be Ronnie, of course. Even if at that time you had little faith that he'd still be alive, you still _had faith._ Even if it was the littles, tiniest drop of faith, it was still _faith_ in him. That he'd come back alive. That he'd be your husband someday.

So now, on the eve of your wedding to Ronnie, I guess I can say I'm close to losing you. All I'll have left of you after tomorrow night will be mere memories to cherish.

 _Cherish_. It's such a beautiful word, isn't it? To protect. To hold dear. To keep in hope.

I'll always cherish the moments we've shared, Caitlin. From the simple smiles shared in the lab, to those times you'd scold me for coming back to the lab, bleeding and broken, needing your attention. Ronnie will have you to cherish his entire life, but I'll only have our memories together.

I'd like to blame it on you, that you've never given me a chance. But I guess I'm to blame more. I never moved on after Iris. Maybe if I had, you won't be marrying Ronnie tomorrow. But I guess things happen for a reason.

I hope Ronnie treats you well. I hope he makes you smile every day by telling you that you're the smartest scientist he's ever known. I hope he comes to your rescue when you're kidnapped by The Rogues. I hope he sings along with you to "Summer Nights" when you get drunk. I hope he tucks you in bed after that, and kisses you on the forehead just before your heavy eyes close. I hope he cherishes each and every single moment he has with you as his wife. He probably isn't aware how many other guys would kill to be in his position, to be able to cherish the moments with you.

And when the time comes, I hope he is brave enough to tell you that he loves you. I hope he takes the chance I didn't.

Always wishing you the best,

Barry Allen  
THE FLASH

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ **Admittedly, not my best angst one-shot. I tried my best to keep Barry in-character (he** _ **can**_ **get a bit angsty sometimes, as I've observed on the show), but I'm scared I went just a** _ **bit**_ **OOC here. Tell me what you think in your reviews?**

 **Also, if you guys have any suggestions for the next one-shots, don't hesitate to PM me! The next letter in the alphabet is "D", so hit me up with suggestions for titles starting with that letter!**


	4. Date (Part I)

_**A/N:**_ **This prompt was suggested by my dear reader,** _ **snnowfrostt**_ **! Also, a shoutout to maryz_13 on Twitter for suggesting that I incorporate a line that Grant used in his Instagram post to Danielle. I really appreciate it when you guys are so active in my writing process! Literally, without you guys, I am nothing.**

 **Shoutout to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, and followed! I've reached 21 reviews! That's the most I've ever had! Thank you! Also, an Anon Guest asked a question in a review but sadly, I can't reply to Guests using PM, so I'll answer the question in my second A/N at the end of this chapter.**

 **Did you guys watch the SDCC panel interviews? Aaaahh, weren't Grant and Danielle so** _ **cute**_ **together! They had such natural chemistry!**

 **This will be a two-shot due to its length!**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ **I don't own The Flash! If I did, SNOWBARRY WOULD BE CANON! The university mentioned here is entirely fictional!**

* * *

 **DATE (Part I)  
** _ **Alternate Universe**_

" _Thank you for everything always dpanabaker. I'd be lost without you." - grantgust_

 _Barry Allen is desperate to get Iris West jealous, and Caitlin Snow needs a "body guard" to keep her nasty stalker, Leonard Snart, at bay. The two, both good friends from their Biology 101 class, decide to strike a deal: that they'd pretend to be a couple to satisfy their own needs. The catch? Barry and Caitlin aren't allowed to fall for each other. But one night leads to the next, and they find that it's rather impossible to keep their ends of the deal._

New York Science Institute, New York

Thursday 7:58 pm

"You want me to _what_?" Caitlin exclaimed. Barry bit his lip and glanced away for a brief second. _Okay, maybe this wasn't the best idea after all._

"Barry…" Caitlin began, her face an expression of pure confusion. She blinked a couple of times before she found her bearings. "That's just…that's just really awkward, Barry. I don't know if I can pull that off. You want me to pretend to be your girlfriend?"

Barry rubbed his hands together and tried for a smile even though his lips were shaking with anxiety. "Yeah?" he replied nervously. This was his last resort. If Iris didn't get jealous from this act, then Barry didn't know how else he'd get her attention. He'd been trying for the last couple of years! He'd asked her to their high school prom, and took her out to a couple of dinners, but Iris never seemed to be able to read his hidden motives. She had always seen him as her best friend, and Barry was scared that she'd always see him as so.

Caitlin sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "You do know I have a boyfriend."

Barry nodded solemnly. "But Ronnie doesn't have to find out! We'll only keep this act up for a few weeks, until I can get Iris jealous." He winced inwardly. It was a rather selfish and stupid plan. How sure was Barry that Iris would even feel a slight tinge of jealousy?

Caitlin seemed to give this a few seconds of thought. She cocked her head to the side and smirked. "Well, Ronnie won't be around until a few weeks from now, when he comes home from his exchange student program," she muttered. "You're awfully funny when you're nervous, Allen. Okay, if I were to agree to this… _deal,_ what's in it for me?"

Barry swallowed. Okay, he hadn't actually given _that_ much thought, actually. He scratched the top of his head. "Ummm…."

"Okay, I have a proposition," Caitlin spoke up when Barry had still come up with nothing after a few awkward seconds. "There's this guy in our class – I think you know him, Leonard Snart – and he's been bothering me for the past few weeks since Ronnie left. I don't know what the heck he actually wants, but God, I think he's stalking me!"

Barry tried not to laugh. Leonard Snart? One of the university's popular jocks? He knew a bunch of other girls who would kill to be "stalked" by Leonard. He was, as overheard from most chicks, "hot." But Barry begged to differ; he was actually pretty _cool._ He topped his classes and played pretty well on the football field. Okay, Barry didn't have a _man crush_ on him. He just found Leonard pretty admirable. Maybe if he were more like Leonard, Iris would like him…

"Barry!" Caitlin exclaimed, startling the lovesick boy out of his trance. "Are you even listening to me?"

Barry cleared his throat. "Yeah! Um, sorry. Where were we again? Leonard Snart stalking you?"

In the dimming twilight, Barry thought he caught Caitlin blush, but she turned her head away quickly. "Okay, you might find it funny how I don't trust Leonard. I mean, you're probably aware of how all the girls practically _worship_ him. Well, I don't trust him because he tried to take advantage of me at a party last month, and I've never seen him in the same way ever since." She spoke so swiftly and silently that as soon as she was done, Barry had to take a few seconds to process all that she had said. Caitlin's hand flew to cover her mouth. "I've said too much," she suddenly murmured. "I'm sorry. I just – I think, I trust people too easily."

Barry offered her another of his nervous smiles to calm her down. He felt bad that Caitlin had gotten so rattled up all of a sudden. He hadn't meant to dig up that story of hers.

"But there you have it," she said, her brown eyes avoiding Barry's. "Keep Leonard away from me, that's my only request for your end of the deal. No questions asked." She offered her hand shyly, suggesting a handshake. Barry took her hand and squeezed it to seal their pact.

"It's a deal, then," he said. Caitlin smiled up at him briefly before nodding and spinning on her heels. Barry watched her as she disappeared into the nearest building – the chemistry building – and out of his view.

 _I think I trust people too easily._

Barry gulped, his saliva suddenly tasting bitter. Caitlin was a great friend, a crazy-intelligent student at New York Science University, and a reliable lab partner. She was always so confident in class, eager to recite and always ready with her homework. But outside the classroom…Barry realized that he barely knew the Caitlin Snow that undid her pony tail after a day in the laboratory and donned her lab coat for dresses to go clubbing on weekends.

Scratch that, he didn't even know a Caitlin Snow like that even existed!

Barry bit his lip and trudged down the path towards the Arts building for his next class. Something tugged at his stomach, an unfamiliar feeling. Was it protectiveness? He felt the sudden urge to keep Leonard away from Caitlin, not only to fulfill his end of the deal, but to keep her _safe._

* * *

 _I trust people too easily._

Caitlin maneuvered through the jam-packed halls of the Chemistry building, the traffic mainly composed of stressed-out students running through the hallways, either carrying their laptops, notebooks, or their about-to-explode science projects.

 _I trust people too easily._

Caitlin's stomach felt all tingly inside, like she had just swallowed ten live anacondas. Had she really just agreed to such a stupid deal with Barry Allen? She barely even knew the kid! They were lab partners this year, but they didn't exactly have anything else in common besides that. Looking back at it, Caitlin realized that they didn't even talk outside of class.

And fuck, what would Ronnie say! Caitlin's eyes stung as she turned a corner and headed inside the lecture hall. What the _fuck_ would Ronnie say? She could imagine telling him about the stupid deal over Skype.

" _Oh and by the way, I agreed to be Barry's fake girlfriend so he can get Iris' attention."_

Caitlin felt sick.

 _I trust people too easily._

Damn it, she really _did_ trust people too easily. She barely knew Barry, yet she had agreed to be his fake girlfriend.

And she had also trusted him to take care of her, to keep Leonard Snart out of her way.

She trusted people too easily, and she was scared that one day, it would lead to her downfall.

"Cait?" Cisco startled her, suddenly coming into view beside her. "You alright? You look a bit peaky?"

"I'm fine," Caitlin lied, settling down into a chair. Her best friend was still staring at her, his thick eyebrows knitted in concern.

Cisco frowned at her. "I know you, Caitlin. Something's up. What's wrong? You can tell me."

Caitlin and Cisco had been best friends ever since they were both in diapers. They had grown up together, gone to the same high school, and had both dreamed of going to the New York Science Institute. A sudden thought surged through her mind; were Iris and Barry just like them?

Caitlin locked eyes with Cisco, and suddenly everything just felt _wrong._ She couldn't imagine ever falling in love with Cisco, that was gross!

And with a sinking feeling in her gut, Caitlin realized that it was probably _never_ going to work out with Iris and Barry. Not if Iris felt for Barry the same way Caitlin felt towards Cisco.

She jumped up from her seat at that moment, adrenaline coursing through her veins.

"Cait?" Cisco asked worriedly.

Their professor had already walked in for their next lecture, but Caitlin grabbed her backpack that she had hung behind her chair and waved at Cisco. "I'll be back. I just need to fix something."

She didn't wait for him to answer. Instead, she dashed out the lecture hall's back door.

She found Barry Allen at the cafeteria, sharing a table with Felicity Smoak, resident IT nerd, Oliver Queen, the university's popular rich kid, and…Caitlin's feet suddenly came to a halt. Next to Barry was none other than Iris West, the school's budding journalist.

Caitlin was about to do a roundabout when Barry's eyes met hers and he raised her hand up in a sort of awkward wave. "Caitlin!" he called.

Iris looked up and gave her a friendly smile. Caitlin felt guilt gnaw at her insides. She took a deep breath and smoothed down her skirt before walking over to their table.

"Hey, I thought you said you had a class?" Barry asked her, patting the empty seat beside him. Caitlin sat down and pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Well, I did, but, um," she stuttered.

"You came to see me?" Barry finished for her. Caitlin was used to Barry's cheerful jokes, so she had to take a second to realize that what he had just said, was in fact, _not_ a joke.

She was supposed to be his girlfriend.

Before she could reply, Barry leaned forward and _kissed_ her. Right on the lips.

She heard Oliver swoon and Felicity take a sharp gasp.

Meanwhile, Caitlin couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. Her eyes were still wide open, and her hands had curled the fabric of her skirt into fists.

Barry was kissing her. Her lips were on his'.

And yet, mental images ran through her head. Ronnie's hands on her waist, his lips on hers, his tongue brushing ever so lightly over her teeth…

"Barry, you never told me…" Iris' murmured her voice unusually soft.

Caitlin couldn't take this anymore. She brought her hands up to Barry's chest and pushed him away.

"Whoa, your girl is rough," she heard Oliver mutter. Felicity laughed somewhere off to her side. But Caitlin only had eyes and ears for Barry.

"Why did you push me away?" Barry asked playfully, though a hint of hurt seeped in his tone.

Caitlin swallowed hard. She could feel _everyone's_ eyes on her. She couldn't embarrass Barry, nor herself, in front of Oliver, Felicity, or even Iris. "I got nervous, with everyone staring at us," Caitlin finally said.

Oliver chuckled. "Well, that's pretty understandable. Barry's never even told us that you guys were together. It's okay to be nervous during your first public kiss."

Caitlin bit her lip as Oliver's words rang in her ears. _First public kiss._

"I thought you were with Ronnie?" Iris asked.

 _Oh no,_ Caitlin thought desperately. _Now she was dead meat._

Luckily, Barry cleared his throat and spoke up for her. "Ronnie and Caitlin decided to take a break when Ronnie left for Europe a few weeks ago."

Felicity pursed her cherry-red lips. "Ooooh, I never knew you were the type to steal someone's girl, Barry," Felicity purred.

Caitlin felt her cheeks burn. This was wrong. Everything was falling apart and they had only been a "couple" for a few minutes. Her vision swam and her limbs felt like Jell-O.

"We should definitely go on double dates," Iris piped. She was beaming from ear to ear, her shiny pearly whites blinding Caitlin. Barry seemed to flinch at this.

Everything was suddenly too bright. The table screamed a horrid, guilty color of red, Felicity's neon green nail polish teased Caitlin with envy, and Barry's chocolate brown eyes seemed to enrapture her.

Oh God, there was seriously something wrong.

Caitlin took a deep, shuddering breath. "I – I n-need to get back to class," she blurted out, before sprinting out the cafeteria.

* * *

"Caitlin?" Barry called as he circled the Institute's garden. "Caitlin, where are you?"

After Caitlin's sudden departure, Barry's friends had given him odd glances, as if they could sense something fishy going on. Iris had taken hold of his hand and given it a tight, little squeeze. "Maybe you should go talk to her. Something seems off between you two." At this, Barry had felt a wrench in his gut; things between him and Iris were definitely _not_ going the way he had planned. Iris had looked at him with her sweet black eyes, and Barry knew that Iris was excited about his relationship with Caitlin. Iris wasn't jealous, at all.

And so he had ran out the cafeteria doors just a minute after Caitlin had, and began yelling her name in vain.

His voice was hoarse and he was sweating profusely by the time he spotted the brunette, her legs pulled to her chest as she sat with her back to the base of a big oak tree.

"Caitlin," he called softly as he approached her. He knelt down next to her and reached out to her, but Caitlin jerked back as if his hand were to electrocute her.

"Barry, I can't do this anymore," she sobbed into her arms. "Ronnie will hate me, and the entire school will talk about us, and –"she gasped, her shoulders shaking.

Barry felt a stabbing pain of guilt. He hadn't meant to hurt Caitlin's feelings. "I'm sorry," he tried to say as solemnly as he could. "We could break this off if you don't want to do this any – "

"The damage has been done," Caitlin snapped. She glared at Barry with her red-rimmed eyes. " _The damage has been done._ "

Barry opened his mouth to speak but realized that he hadn't a single good argument to Caitlin's point. She was right. The damage had been done. If they were to break their deal off right now, the school would gossip about them, and Barry was sure such bad press would break Caitlin's heart. She was the star student of NYSI, and Barry didn't want to ruin her pristine, goody-two-shoes image.

Again, another surge of _protectiveness_ swelled up in his chest. He was going to make it up to Caitlin Snow.

"Come with me to Oliver's party tomorrow night," Barry said. "You'll be my date to the party, but we can 'break up' tonight when you find me cheating on you. That way, you won't get the bad press. I will. I'll take the blame, because this stupid deal was really my idea to begin with."

Caitlin rubbed her nose and stared up at him. "What the heck? How are you going to pull that off?"

Barry took Caitlin's hand; her fingers were cold in his. "I'll fix everything I ruined. Ronnie won't even have the chance to find out about all this. I'll fix it before it gets worse. _I promise._ "

Caitlin's lower lip trembled. "You promise?"

"I promise."

* * *

"I'm nervous," Caitlin muttered, pulling down the hem of her sparkly silver dress. It came to rest a couple of inches above her knee, a couple of inches much too short to what she was used to. Cisco had come over before Barry came to pick her up. Her best friend had pulled that dress out of her wardrobe, proudly announcing that Barry would _love_ to see her in that dress.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me about you and Barry!" Cisco had demanded. "But what about Ronnie? Hey, you know what, you haven't even been telling me _anything_! How come I'm clueless?"

Caitlin had been looking at herself in her full-body mirror. "Maybe because I'm a bit clueless myself," she had replied softly.

Cisco had remained quiet after that.

But to his record, Barry _did_ love seeing Caitlin in her itsy-bitsy dress. He had smiled so widely upon seeing her at her doorway that Caitlin felt like they were a giddy high school couple on their way to freshmen night or something.

"Why would you be nervous?" Barry chuckled as they walked in the double doors of _Kingdom_ , the Queen family's newest night club investment. "You look stunning."

Caitlin stomped at Barry's polished dress shoes. "Will you stop with this stupid boyfriend-girlfriend act for just a minute? You _know_ why I'm so nervous. One wrong move and Ronnie could find out _everything._ "

"By everything you mean that one cafeteria kiss?"

"Uggh!"

Barry spun her around to face him, his fingers gripping her bare arm. For some strange reason, Caitlin felt sparks dance up and down her limbs. "I told you to trust me, Caitlin Snow. I'll fix everything, I promise."

"What about Iris?"

Barry looked away. "I've come to a realization," he said slowly.

"A realization?"

Just then, Oliver Queen strolled in-between them, holding a glass of champagne in one hand. "WAITERS!" he yelled over the music. His voice was slurred, as if the glass of alcohol he was holding wasn't his first. "GIVE THESE TWO LOVEBIRDS SOME DRINKS! THEY NEED A CATALYST FOR THEIR HEAVY MAKE-OUT SESSI – "

Barry quickly covered Oliver's mouth. "No need to announce that, Ollie," he laughed shakily. Caitlin tried to compose herself as a waiter flew by and handed her a glass filled with bubbling champagne.

Ollie fought for control, finally yanking Barry's hand away from his face. "Bar, I gotta show you something…" he began pulling Barry away. Barry flashed Caitlin a nervous grin and mouthed, "Leave it to me!" before the two buddies disappeared into a mob of sweaty, dancing college students.

 _Leave it up to him, Caitlin. Barry Allen has it all under control._

"Well, if it isn't the beautiful Caitlin Snow," a voice startled Caitlin out of her reverie.

She spun on her heels – literally, it was difficult on her four-inch stilettos – and came face to face with her worst nightmare.

Leonard Snart was dressed in a classy suit and a bow-tie. His hair was slicked back and looked rather greasy in the dim strobe lights of the club. He had a bottle of beer in his right hand, and when he advanced on Caitlin, his steps betrayed how many bottles he had probably already drank on that night.

"Where's your sweet boyfriend Ronnie?" he teased, staggering towards her. Caitlin tried to keep calm as she stepped backwards as well.

"He's on the exchange program, you know that, Snart," she spat.

"Is it true that you've moved on from Ronnie? You're with Allen now, aren't you?" Leonard slurred.

Caitlin's heel suddenly caught on the wall behind her and she slipped, but Leonard held her up with his free hand firmly. His hands traveled up her arm to rest on her shoulders. Caitlin struggled to keep her breaths steady. "Don't touch me," she hissed, slapping his arm away. But Leonard held on, his mouth moving down to her neck.

"Ronnie's on an exchange program, because you've exchanged him for Bartholomew Allen," Leonard whispered, his breath on her bare skin making her squirm in disgust.

Caitlin's chest felt heavy. Where was Barry? Didn't his end of the deal involve keeping Leonard out of the way? Hadn't Barry _promised_ to make things better? Caitlin sobbed as she felt Leonard cup her face with his beer-sticky hands. She pushed him away but her hands were trembling.

Then all of a sudden –

"HEY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

Leonard was suddenly on the floor and Barry towered over him, a fist held up mid-air. Caitlin tried to take in what she was seeing. Had Barry just punched Leonard Snart?

A crowd began to form around the two. Leonard struggled to his feet but Barry kicked him down. "Caitlin's with me. How dare you try to take advantage of her!"

A part of Caitlin relaxed with relief; Barry was keeping his end of the deal. But another part of her exploded with rage. No! Barry couldn't publicly announce to everyone that they were together at the party! He was making the issue even bigger!

Barry turned to face Caitlin, a reassuring smile on his face. "We're all goo – " Out of nowhere, Leonard was back on his feet and had swung his empty beer bottle at Barry. There was a loud, resounding sound of shattering glass and Barry was suddenly on his knees. Blood pooled around him, leaking out from the back of his head. Leonard continued to kick Barry, his leather boots connecting with Barry's chest and abdomen. Barry collapsed forward with a groan. Leonard kicked at Barry's side, bringing the beer bottle down on his back a couple of times.

Caitlin's heart seemed to jump up to her throat. _Barry was bleeding. Barry was hurt. No one was trying to stop Leonard._

Leonard raised his beer bottle again, but Barry staggered away just in time and the bottle shattered to glass shards on the cement floor.

People were screaming now, scrambling to get away from the dangerous drunkard. Barry trudged over to Caitlin, a hand held to his head injury. Blood ran down his fingers from his concussion and his suit was peppered with blood stains and dirt marks. "We need to get away from here," he told her, his voice weak.

Caitlin still felt light-headed from everything that had just happened. She was vaguely aware of the sound of police sirens coming from outside the club. She gulped. If the police found out about this, it was definitely going out on the local news. In no time, Ronnie would find out about the incident, and word would probably reach him about how Barry Allen had defended her at the club because they were "together".

Barry faltered beside her, dropping to his knees.

"Oh my God," Caitlin murmured, lifting his arm to sling it over her shoulders. She aided him to stand but Barry was already losing consciousness, his eyes rolling back in his head. "Oh my God, Barry! Barry, stay with me, please!"

His full weight pulled Caitlin down to the floor and his head lolled on her chest. "Protect…" he moaned.

"Barry!" Caitlin sobbed. She was a pre-medicine student, and she knew she had to get Barry to first aid care immediately. He was losing too much blood. But she was shell-shocked and Barry was too heavy for her to carry.

"Caitlin!"

It was Felicity. Her eyes were wide with fear as she dropped to Caitlin's side. "Don't worry, I've called the ambulance and they're on their way."

Just then, the doors to the club burst open and a team of medics arrived with a stretcher. They ran to Caitlin's side and lifted Barry on to the stretcher, blood immediately staining the linen where his head rested.

"Protect…" Barry continued to moan.

Caitlin squeezed his hand. "You'll be alright," she told him, her voice quavering. Was he going to be alright? It was Caitlin's fault he was in such bad shape now. If she hadn't made Barry agree to keep Leonard away from her, he wouldn't be losing this much blood. He wouldn't have thrown the punch in the first place.

"Protect…Caitlin…" Barry muttered, before his hand went limp in Caitlin's.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ **Oh no, please don't kill me for that cliff-hanger! I promise, I'll update really soon and y'all will find out how our favorite superhero is doing.**

 **How did you like the first part of this two-shot? Tell me in your reviews! If you have any theories as to what's going to happen next, tell me as well! I love hearing from you guys!**

 **Stay tuned for Part II of "DATE"!**

 **As for the answers to an Anon's question:**

 **Anon asked: "Why do you ship why do you ship Snowbarry? Was there a scene, or an episode that did you in? I know I started shipping them straight after the runway scene in episode 1, but it escalated in episode 2 to being my top otp."**

 **Well, I ship Snowbarry because I love the chemistry between the two characters. Caitlin knows everything about him, she being his sort of caretaker, and because she "studies" him because she's a scientist. A particular scene or episode? Well, I don't remember there being an exact episode that sparked my being a Snowbarry shipper, but if I were really to mention a great catalyst to my feelings, it would probably be s01e12 when Barry and Caitlin went to the bar and they both decided to "move on" blah blah blah. Yah, if you're a frequent reader of mine, you'd notice how I always refer to "That Night" HAHA**

 ***Bonus fact: I used to be a die-hard WestAllen shipper! I still greatly respect that ship, but I prefer Snowbarry now. :)**


	5. Date (Part II)

_**A/N:**_ **Shoutout to** _ **snnowfrostt**_ **on and maryz_13 on Twitter! (They gave me ideas for this two-shot!) Oh, and shoutout to the anon guests for constantly reviewing (and** _ **Snowbarryftw**_ **who I recently met on Twitter as well), and a guest named Raquel! All of you, my dear readers, ARE AWESOME!**

 **Without further ado, I present to you guys Part II of Date! Enjoy!**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ **I don't own Snowbarry! The university mentioned here is fictional!**

* * *

 **DATE (Part II)  
** _ **Alternate Universe**_

" _Thank you for everything always dpanabaker. I'd be lost without you." - grantgust_

 _RECAP: Barry Allen is desperate to get Iris West jealous, and Caitlin Snow needs a "body guard" to keep her nasty stalker, Leonard Snart, at bay. The two, both good friends from their Biology 101 class, decide to strike a deal: that they'd pretend to be a couple to satisfy their own needs. The catch? Barry and Caitlin aren't allowed to fall for each other. But one night leads to the next, and they find that it's rather impossible to keep their ends of the deal._

New York Science Institute, New York

Tuesday 4:34 pm

Barry didn't show up for their Saturday morning Biology 101 class, where Caitlin and he were lab partners. He didn't reply to Caitlin's calls or text messages on Saturday afternoon and he had stayed silent the entire Sunday too. Despite his secrecy, when Monday morning rolled in, Caitlin half-expected Barry to saunter in the Chemistry lecture hall free from stitches and bruises; but he didn't shown up even then. By the time Tuesday came around without any sign of Barry being okay yet, Caitlin decided it was time to check up on her lab-partner-slash-fake-"boyfriend". He _had_ sustained a pretty nasty concussion last Friday night, but that didn't necessarily mean that he couldn't answer her calls or texts, right? Unless, of course, the nasty concussion had really been _nasty._ Caitlin's heart jumped into her throat as her mind ran through a list of worst possible scenarios. He could have lost his memory, or have become partially paralyzed, or he could be…dead?

"Stupid, he's not dead," Caitlin berated herself as she shouldered her backpack and headed out the lecture hall of her last class. She had talked to Felicity earlier in the day, and the perky computer science major had given her directions to the Allen household up in the nearby suburbs.

"He's staying at his dad's house until he recovers," Felicity had told her. "How come you don't know? I thought he'd at least text you to tell you that he's alright as soon as he got home from the hospital?"

Caitlin had frowned at this. Barry hadn't even tried to get in contact with her after Friday night.

"Ohhhkay," Felicity had mumbled, chewing on her pen. "Judging from that sour face you have, I don't think Allen's told you that fact."

Caitlin had tried for a nonchalant smile after Felicity's comment. "No, I'm fine with that. It's pretty understandable for him to be quite busy…recovering. I'll just pay him a visit, I guess."

And so here she was now, taking a cab to a quiet suburb town upstate New York. The trip only took thirty minutes, and in no time, she found herself staring up at the front porch of the Allen home. It was a cheerful-looking colonial-style house with a white-washed picket fence and a dainty front garden. Petunias in shades of pink and purple were scattered around the garden, and a memory resurfaced of Barry telling Caitlin how much his mother had loved those flowers before she died.

Caitlin took a deep breath and walked up the stairs leading to the front porch. She rang the doorbell and stepped back to wait, her heart thumping in her chest.

There was a clamor of footsteps from inside the house before the door finally swung open and Barry's dad stood in the doorframe in denim overalls and a screwdriver in one hand.

"Hi, Dr. Allen?" Caitlin greeted, her voice shaking slightly. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. How was she supposed to introduce herself? Was Barry's father aware of their fake relationship? Was she "Caitlin, Barry's lab partner", or "Caitlin, Barry's girlfriend"?

Luckily, before Caitlin could say anything, more footsteps sounded from inside the house and suddenly, Barry was pushing his way from behind his dad. He met Caitlin's eyes and color flooded his rather pale face. "Cait!" he exclaimed. He had a clean white bandage wrapped around his head, and a few stitches on his forehead.

Caitlin smiled weakly as Barry ran up to her and threw his arms around her in a hug. He smelled like soap and mint – was that painkilling salve? Her hands, which had found their way towards his back, felt the bandages that protected the wounds on his sides.

Caitlin wasn't sure what to feel. Barry had cut contact with her the entire weekend and she had been _worried_. Yet here he was right now, with his strong arms around her waist and his soft brown hair smelling like watermelon and he was alright, he was _alright, he was alright._

"Dad, this is Caitlin," Barry said as he pulled away. Caitlin's smiled trembled as she faced Barry's father; Barry had talked about his dad, him being a medical doctor and a fun, great guy, but this was Caitlin's first time to meet him in the flesh. "She's my lab partner and a really good friend of mine."

Caitlin almost sighed outwardly in relief. She was introduced as a "good friend", and not his girlfriend.

"It's great to meet you, Caitlin," Dr. Allen greeted, extending a hand. Caitlin accepted his handshake, trying not to grip his hand too tightly. "So you're the girl he was muttering about while he was in a coma at the hospital."

 _Oh no. Guess I'm not saved._

Barry cleared his throat and when Caitlin looked up at him, she noticed his cheeks had gone bright red. "We'll, um, head up to my room, okay dad? Caitlin's gonna help me with all the school work I've missed."

Barry didn't wait for his dad to reply. Instead, he grabbed Caitlin's wrist and led the way into his house, up the stairs, and down the hallway to his room.

Barry Allen's room was a jungle. There were clothes strewn everywhere; shirts thrown atop his unmade bed, jackets slung over the back of his chair, pants and socks scattered all over the floor. The table that faced his window looked like it was about to give way under the multitude of science books that were stacked on top of it. There was a guitar lying haphazardly between the bed and his table, and a pile of bond papers were littered near it.

"Sorry," Barry muttered, running a hand through his hair. He grinned sheepishly at Caitlin. "It's a mess, I know. I was at the hospital for two days and when I got back, I was still pretty dizzy and stuff. Didn't exactly have the time to clean up."

"It's alright," Caitlin assured him. She hopped over the obstacles of clothes and other paraphernalia lying on his floor and made her way towards an empty chair.

"Didn't expect you to come over," Barry added.

Caitlin felt her jaw stiffen. "You didn't expect me to come over?" she blurted out, her voice a bit squeakier than usual. "Barry, I was _worried_ about you! You didn't even reply to my text messages, you didn't answer my calls! It's been _four_ days and I thought you'd at least try to get in contact with me to tell me you're okay!"

Barry's mouth was hanging open. "You were _worried_?"

Caitlin huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Yes, I was worried. Is there anything wrong with that?"

Barry shook his head quickly. "No, of course not. It's just that, I didn't expect you to be worried. I didn't know you'd take the 'girlfriend' thing that far."

" _What?"_ Caitlin exclaimed. She felt like she had just been slapped on the face. "My being worried is a very human reaction. It definitely isn't the 'girlfriend' part of me."

At this note, Barry shut his mouth and stayed quiet. It was almost as if something in him had snapped in half. Wait a minute, had Barry wanted Caitlin to be worried about him?

Caitlin took a deep breath. Man, things were getting confusing. "Anyway," she said, clearing her throat. "I came here to give you everything you've missed." She began to pull books, notebooks, and papers out from her backpack.

They spent the next four hours going over Caitlin's animal physiology notes from their lecture class and researching on microbial ecology for their laboratory work. It was only when Dr. Allen called them down for dinner that it dawned on Caitlin that the clock had struck 8:30 in the evening.

"Maybe we should call it a night," Caitlin announced.

Barry was still scrutinizing Caitlin's notes, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration like he was trying to make the page turn with the use of telekinesis.

"Barry?"

"Oh, what?" Barry jumped in his seat, startled. "August Krogh principle?" He suddenly winced, putting his head down on the table.

Caitlin felt a pang of sympathy. Her anger at Barry had dispersed over the past hours that they had been studying. It was obvious that the boy, who was probably still recovering, needed a break.

"Are you alright?"

"I still get these annoying migraines," Barry groaned. He sat up, though his forehead was still rumpled. "I'll be fine."

Caitlin nodded gingerly. "I think we've had enough studying for one night. I'll see you at school tomorrow?"

Caitlin was about to stand up when Barry's hand was suddenly on her arm. "Hey, stay for dinner, will ya?"

"Are you sure? I mean, your dad would probably not like – "

"He'll love to have you over. And he'll even offer to drive you back to your dorm," Barry said. He was beaming from ear to ear, and Caitlin got an odd feeling in the pit of her stomach. There was just _something_ about Barry's smile…

"Well, if you say so…"

"And Caitlin? T-thanks for tonight," Barry stammered. He took a deep breath and let go of her wrist. "Thanks for bringing me the homework and projects, and for teaching me. I'd never had someone so willing to help me catch-up with school work. It means a lot to me. I'd…I-I'd be lost w-without you."

Caitlin's wrist, where Barry had just been holding her a moment ago, suddenly burned like flames were dancing across her skin. "You're welcome." She took in Barry's face under the lamplight. The white bandage around his head, the stitches, the bruise under his cheek and over his collarbones. _He's better off without me,_ Caitlin thought wearily. _If I hadn't asked him to defend me from Leonard, he wouldn't be hurt now._

* * *

Barry's head hurt. After they had driven Caitlin home, he had slunk back up to his room and collapsed on his bed, trying his best to ignore how his heartbeat seemed to reverberate up in his skull. And to make matters worse, there were too many things on his mind; animal physiology, the upcoming science fair, their lab report, Caitlin…Caitlin… _Caitlin._

All of a sudden, there was a knock on the door and a voice," Bar, can I come in?"

Barry rolled over with a groan and called back," Yah, sure thing Dad."

Henry Allen walked in and shut the door behind him before coming to sit by the foot of Barry's bed. "Migraine?" he asked carefully.

"Ummpf," Barry moaned as he sat up. "I'll be okay," he lied, though he knew there was little acting that could be done to trick a physician such as his dad.

Henry smiled comfortingly at his son. "I'll make sure to give you some Advil before you sleep," he said. "I was expecting your other friend to come over…what's her name? Irene? Your best friend from high school?"

Barry felt his cheeks burn. "Iris?" his voice was a little squeak.

Henry nodded, recognition etched on his face. "Yes, Iris West. You two used to be the best of friends. Didn't you have a crush on her at one point?"

"Dad," Barry moaned. He was _seriously_ not in the mood for this conversation right now.

Henry laughed a bit. "I know you still do. But son, I want to leave you with a piece of advice." He sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "I had a crush on a girl back in high school. She was pretty, she was smart, she was everything a guy could ever dream of. But when we both got to university, I met your mother."

At this, Barry stiffened. Sure, they had both been prepared for Nora's death; it was an impending case of a bad brain tumor. But that didn't mean that Barry had gotten over it, or that he didn't miss her anymore.

"My high school crush…well, I tried all I could to win her over, but she already seemed to have her sights set on someone else. It was painful, yes, but I realized something. Your mother, Nora, she was _always_ there for me. I guess my silly infatuation for that girl blinded me to the fact that there was already a person who was willing to reciprocate my affections."

Barry gulped. He felt like something at the back of his mind had just been confirmed. "So…you're saying?"

Henry smiled. "I'm saying that you better watch out who you're giving time and attention to. Don't let silly infatuations make you blind to what's actually right in front of you. You could be looking for love in the wrong place, and that's a waste of time and effort, isn't it?"

* * *

 _Protect Caitlin._

Caitlin woke up in the middle of the night with Barry's voice echoing in her ears.

 _Protect Caitlin._

His voice continued to resonate in her head, getting softer and softer until it finally died down. She was breathing hard, her limbs tangled in her sheets. Sweat dripped from her temples. She glanced at the digital clock on her bed stand. _3:26 am._

"It's just a dream," Caitlin murmured to herself, drawing her sheets around her shoulders. "It's just a dream, just a dream, just a dream."

She took a deep breath and fell back down on her pillows, squeezing her eyes shut. She could vaguely remember her dream now. Bits and pieces of it were slipping from her memory like tendrils of smoke. But there was one thing she was sure of: it had been about Friday night at the party with Barry.

Why in the world was Bartholomew Allen on her mind at _three in the morning?_

Caitlin groaned and turned over and buried her face in her pillows. This was just _wrong_! She had a boyfriend, for crying out loud! He hasn't been around for a couple of weeks, but he was still her boyfriend all the same.

She loved Ronnie. She loved him with every bit and piece of herself.

But why did Barry was…different.

Being with Ronnie made her feel like sparks were going off in her stomach, whereas Barry made her feel like her skin was on fire.

Ronnie made her feel like she was dreaming, but Barry made her feel… _alive._

Caitlin sighed, exasperated, and sat up. Maybe it was time she talked to Ronnie. It had been a week since they'd had a proper conversation on Skype.

Caitlin jumped off her bed and grabbed her laptop which was situated on her study table. She quickly booted it up and started calling Ronnie. Luckily, she was alone in her dorm room for tonight; Bethany, her roomie, was staying over at her aunt's house.

Caitlin rested her chin on her knees as she waited for Ronnie to pick up. Before he had left for Paris, they had promised to Skype every day, or at least e-mail each other in detail of their day's events. (Yes, Ronnie was pretty old-school and preferred the good ol' email.) But eventually, everyday Skype sessions had waned to every-other-day sessions, and soon enough, their ten-paragraph e-mails were cut down to a couple of cheesy I-love-you's and quick phrases. Suddenly, Ronnie was too busy with his internship and Caitlin was too preoccupied with her advanced classes.

Were long-distance relationships even possible?

Finally, Ronnie picked up. His pixelated face appeared on screen, and Caitlin felt her chest loosen up. "Ronnie!" she exclaimed. A few seconds passed before her boyfriend's face broke into a smile.

"Caitlin, oh God. I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too," Caitlin murmured. "We've both been busy."

Ronnie shrugged. "Yeah, that is true. What are you doing up at this hour? Isn't it like, 3 am over there?"

Caitlin nodded bitterly. "Well, I couldn't sleep."

"Wish I could cuddle with you right now," Ronnie teased. Caitlin found herself forcing a smile. For some reason, she couldn't even _feel_ Ronnie's arms around her anymore. She had forgotten how it had felt like.

Ronnie seemed to sense something was wrong. "You alright?" he asked. "Hey, did you have a nightmare?"

 _Protect Caitlin._

Caitlin gulped. She suddenly had a weird feeling in her gut, like she wanted to cry, scream, and punch someone all at the same time. "When are you coming home?" she managed to blurt out.

Ronnie's face twisted. "Actually, Caitlin, that's rather hard for me to answer right now." He took a deep breath. "I've been offered this contract as structural engineer at this company, and they need me to stay here for at least…three more years to satisfy the contract."

Three years.

"Wow," was all Caitlin was able to say.

Three years.

Caitlin knew she was supposed to feel something; panic, anger, sadness, but all she felt was a strange numbness.

Ronnie shifted uneasily. "Caitlin, I don't know when I'm coming back. I don't know if I still will."

The words found their way out of her mouth before Caitlin was able to stop herself. "That's fine. I'm happy for you."

Ronnie's eyebrows scrunched up. "What do you mean 'that's fine'? What about _us_?" He shook his head. "I mean, I appreciate that you're happy for me, but what about _us_?"

The numbness at the pit of her stomach spread throughout her limbs. "We were always headed towards different directions, Ronnie. I want to be a microbiologist, and you want to be an engineer." Caitlin's breath caught in her throat and her eyes were suddenly wet with tears. "I'm happy for you."

Ronnie looked like he wanted to cry himself. "Caitlin, no…Caitlin what are you saying? What about _us_?"

Caitlin was sobbing now. She wasn't sure why, however. She felt fine, actually. Her chest felt light and her limbs felt free and she felt _relieved_ , actually. "Ronnie, I can't live with this uncertainty. I think it's better for us if we just went down our own separate paths. You belong there, in Paris, with your new job. You're living your dream, and I am _so_ proud of you. You have no idea. But I need to feel safe with my boyfriend, right here, right now. I don't think my heart can stand to wait much longer."

Caitlin couldn't remember much from that early-morning conversation once she woke up later. However, her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy and she was curled up around a stuffed toy that Ronnie had given her for their fifth monthsary.

But she did what she had to do. She couldn't stick around and wait forever, especially with the uncertainty that shrouded their relationship.

* * *

 _ **FIVE MONTHS LATER**_

Barry still wasn't sure what they were. Were they friends? Best friends? A…couple?

He glanced over to where Caitlin Snow was riding shotgun in his car. She had earphones on and she was bopping her head along to whatever song she was listening to on her iPod. Her window was rolled down and her light brown hair was flying and flapping all over her face, but Barry still found her _beautiful._

It had been five months since they had made that "deal" on a chilly, autumn afternoon, the day before the party that had brought Barry to the hospital in need of five stitches while he was comatose. But Barry treasured that week. It was the week he had gotten to know the real Caitlin Snow. She was not just his lab partner anymore, but she was a trustworthy friend and a great companion. She had come over to his house to teach him biology and had spent her lunch breaks with him as he tried to catch up with the school work he had missed.

"You know, these random acts of kindness go beyond your contract as my 'girlfriend'," Barry had told her one afternoon while they were at the lab.

Caitlin had stiffened at this statement and turned beet red. "How many times do I have to tell you that I do this from my _heart_? Kindness was never part of the contract, Allen."

And that was the exact precise moment when Barry realized that he was, in fact, breaking his end of the contract. He was _falling for Caitlin Snow._

But she was with Ronnie, and trying to make a move on Caitlin felt wrong. He respected Ronnie and he respected Caitlin, and he respected their relationship above it all.

Barry's next moves surprised even himself. He came to Iris that same afternoon to ask for advice. "I think I'm falling for Caitlin," Barry had admitted.

"Aren't you two, like, a couple already? I mean, haven't you been, for the last few weeks?" Iris had asked, confusion contorting her brows.

So Barry decided to open up about the deal he and Caitlin had made, skipping the fact of course, that he had done so to make Iris jealous. That part, Iris did not need to know. And as Iris began to give her pieces of advice, Barry realized that Iris was best kept as his best friend. Anything more, and things wouldn't have worked out. They were best as best friends, he and Iris. And he was thankful for her.

"What are you thinking of?" Caitlin startled him from his thoughts. She slapped him lightly on the arm and pointed up ahead. "Keep your eyes on the road, dummy."

Barry laughed. "Nothing's on my mind," he lied. He resisted the urge to bring his eyes back to Caitlin. She was so _beautiful_ , sitting shotgun, with her hair undone, her bright eyes reflecting the sunlight.

Barry hadn't tried to make his move on her over the past five months. She had just broken up with Ronnie, after all. He wanted to give her time to grieve, to move on. She deserved that, and he respected her. It had been five months…could he possibly ask her out now?

"Quit lying and spill the beans already!" Caitlin told him. "We're almost near my house. Unless, of course, you want to stay for dinner?"

Barry just _had_ to look over at her. She was beaming up at him, smiling from cheek to cheek. "You really want to know what's on my mind?" he asked her. "I was just thinking of how blessed I am to have you, Caitlin Snow. I'd be lost without you."

Recognition registered on her face, as if she remembered those same words on the night she had visited him at his dad's house. Then her hand crawled over to where Barry's lay on the stick shift, her fingers interlocking over his'.

"God, I'm thankful to have _you_ ," she said. "I'd be just as lost without you."

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ **Whoa, that was probably one of the first open-endings I have ever written HAHAHAHAHAHAHA I am such a teaser.**

 **Did you guys enjoy Part II? I'd love to hear your opinions! Please do leave me a review! Nothing makes me happier than responding to reviews from you guys!**

 **I badly need a prompt for the letter E! Someone suggested "Espionage", but I felt like writing something not AU this time... Something in The Flash Universe! If you have any prompt suggestions, just PM me!**

 **Also, UNI JUST STARTED FOR ME! I'm enjoying, thank you very much. I'm still trying to get used to how FAR everything is. My classes are sometimes buildings and blocks away and I'm just like ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh**


	6. Evil

_**A/N:**_ **HI! Yah, I know. I have A LOT to apologize for.  
1) I haven't been updating.  
2) I haven't been updating.  
3) I HAVEN'T BEEN UPDATING!**

 **I apologize with the entirety of my guilty soul. Uni life has been CRAZY. I'm busy applying for my dream organization (PLEASE PRAY THAT I GET IN!) and although my professors are all blessings from heaven (oh wow, I never expected my profs to be so nice!), I'm still struggling to keep up with my academics. Uni life is VERY different from high school, as I have learned in the past month that I have been a college gal. Oh well, I take everything as a challenge, and above all, I view everything as a learning experience!**

 **I'd like to thank the anonymous guest,** _ **Raquel**_ **, for providing the prompt "Enemy", and** _ **Airsay,**_ **for providing the prompt "Evil." Though I decided to call this one-shot "Evil", both prompts have helped shape my ideas for this chapter. Thank you to everyone else who suggested titles too! I appreciate each and every single one of you who review/favorite/follow/or even tweet about my story! I LOVE YOU ALL FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY SNOW(barry)-filled heart HAHAHA**

 **My version of Killer Frost up ahead. Hope you guys don't flame me for some inaccuracies; I really tried my best HAHA** **Constructive criticism is GREATLY appreciated!**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ **I don't own The Flash. Sad face**

* * *

 **EVIL**

 _"Barry, do you think I'm…evil?"_

S.T.A.R. Labs

Saturday 10:57pm

Barry shivered and pulled his jacket on tighter around his body, curling the cuffs of his sleeves up and over his balled fists. _She'll be okay, she'll be okay,_ he desperately tried to repeat to himself. But was Caitlin really going to be _okay?_ He sighed and buried his head in his hands, drawing his knees up to his chest as he curled into a ball. He just couldn't shake the image from his mind. The scene still burned brightly behind his closed eyelids; the main room of S.T.A.R. Labs in total disarray, fluorescent lamps hanging haphazardly from the ceiling, test tubes and beakers lying broken on the floor, glass shards peppering the cracked tile flooring of the room, and Caitlin…oh God, Caitlin. She was lying on the floor in a helpless, motionless heap when Cisco and Barry had found her. There was blood trickling down from her lips and a bruise seemed to be forming on her cheeks. But those weren't the worst parts. When Barry had reached her, he had thought that she was _dead_. Her skin was cold. Too cold.

"We need to bring her to the testing room!" Barry remembered Cisco shouting then. He vaguely recalled picking up Caitlin's limp form and rushing her over to the testing table, where for majority of his time at S.T.A.R. Labs, it had been him on the metal surface and not the other way around.

Barry remembered how clammy her skin was against his', how blue her lips looked under the harsh lighting of the lab; how her pulse was so weak, Barry couldn't even find it at first. Her body was light in his arms, and her skin felt cold like porcelain; she seemed as fragile as glass.

 _She'll be okay,_ he tried to tell himself then as he squeezed Caitlin's limp hand, her fingers like icicles against his'. She was alive, if only, _barely._

Cisco had been running around the lab at that time, and Barry vaguely remembered people rushing in and out of the testing room, their faces all but a blur to the anxious boy. He could recall Joe pulling Barry into a hug and whispering into his ear, "Wait outside, son. They've got this."

But Barry wanted to help. Caitlin had always helped him, had always been there for him. It was just right that he did the same for her.

"No, she needs me!" he had protested, slamming at Joe's chest as the fear kicked in and took over his senses. Barry had lost his mother, his father, he couldn't afford to lose Caitlin either. "I need to get back in there!"

But Joe gripped Barry's wrists tight, restraining the boy. "They've got this. All you need to do is wait, Barry."

 _They_? Who were _they_? Barry tried to open his mouth to ask Joe but Joe had already let go of him, and the older man was already walking down the hallway.

* * *

"Caitlin."

It was _freezing_. Caitlin could feel the sting of coldness like a splash of ice-water on her cheeks. Every breath she took made her feel like she was inhaling icicles up her nostrils. Her eyes burned and her ears felt like they were going to fall off.

"Cait, hey, can you hear me?"

Caitlin desperately tried to wiggle her fingers, but the action proved to be a challenge. Her fingers felt frozen stiff. She forced her eyes open slowly, squinting as bright lights greeted her pupils.

"Cait, oh my God, you're okay. You're gonna be okay, okay?"

A groan escaped Caitlin's mouth as she struggled to sit up, her muscles screaming in protest. She tried to make out the blurry silhouette of a boy standing over her, long dark hair nearly brushing his shoulders. Was it… "Cis-co," her tongue managed to form. Her throat was dry and her lips were chapped. It hurt to talk.

Cisco smiled reassuringly, though it looked like he was on the verge of tears. Caitlin couldn't blame him. The poor boy was probably scared out of his wits. Caitlin was hurt and ambushed by stupid H.I.V.E., however, none of her friends knew about this yet.

"What happened? Can you talk?" Cisco asked. There was the sound of a door slamming somewhere off to her side, and suddenly, Barry arrived looking flustered, his eyebrows furrowed deeply.

"H.I.V.E.," Caitlin coughed out. Barry seemed to get this signal, as he sped out with his super speed and returned two seconds later with a glass of water. Joe raised an eyebrow up at his adopted son, probably wondering how Barry had managed to bring the water over without spilling a drop. He walked over to Caitlin and handed over the glass, their pinkies brushing in the process. Almost instantly, a wave of warmth swept over Caitlin; but it passed just as quickly.

"H.I.V.E.?" Cisco muttered, leaning in closer. "H.I.V.E. Agents were here?"

Caitlin's stomach curdled. "Y-yeah," she stammered. She hated how weak she felt, how utterly helpless she was now, barely able to sit up in her bed. When the Agents had arrived, Caitlin had been busy conducting a research. She had been too preoccupied on the test tube she was holding up to notice that two men had already been creeping up behind her. It was already too late when she dared try to scream. They had thrown their arms over her too quickly, and she remembered being suddenly pinned down to the floor. "Th-they tried to hurt me. But I didn't allow them to."

Fragments of her memories came flooding back to her; a dark cloth being tied around her head, over her eyes; the feel of the tile floors against her bare arms and legs as she was shoved to the ground; the way she had struggled with the strangers, screaming over and over again until her throat was raw. She remembered the lab suddenly becoming quiet. By then, she had managed to slip one hand out of her bonds. She untied her blindfold, and was about to stand up when the door to the lab suddenly flung open, and the two men were back. She remembered staggering backwards and bumping into a metal frame; the lab's coolant system. Desperation eating her alive, she had kicked a metal pipe attached to the coolant system, and the entire room was suddenly filled with a thick spray of icy mist.

"Cait, hey, don't lose us," Cisco's voice jarred her back to reality. Caitlin suddenly realized that she had balled her blanket around her fist so tightly, her knuckles had turned white. She was breathing hard, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

"Caitlin, what did they do to you?" Barry asked gently, kneeling down beside her so that his eyes levelled up to hers. He had such unnerving _brown_ eyes. They seemed to warm her up from the inside…

"I'm cold," Caitlin said all of a sudden. Her teeth chattered as if to prove the point. "I c-can't seem to g-get w-warm."

Cisco reached out to her, and as soon as his fingers touched hers, warmth seemed to travel from his body to hers. Her extremities warmed up, waking up her senses and making her feel… _alive._

Cisco faltered and winced. It was only then that Caitlin realized that something was wrong. Cisco collapsed to the ground, twitching and convulsing, his eyes rolled up in his head. Meanwhile, the warm feeling seemed to have ceased as soon as Cisco lost physical contact with her.

"What happened to him?" Joe exclaimed. He muttered a curse under his breath when he pushed back a strand of hair from Cisco's forehead. "He's ice-cold!"

Barry's eyebrows furrowed as he glanced from Cisco's convulsing body to Caitlin.

"His pulse is weak," Joe murmured. "What happened!"

Caitlin wanted to cry; what had she done? Had their physical contact done something to Cisco?

"You absorbed his heat," Barry stated. He frowned and reached for Caitlin's hand before she could stop him. Instantly, heat radiated into Caitlin's body. She felt her limbs and her core and her fingers and toes thaw. Her eyes stung and her cheeks burned.

"Ah!" Barry winced, pulling back. As soon as he let go of her, the sensation left Caitlin's body. She was ice-cold again. Barry had gone pale and he was breathing hard, his cheeks tinted a harsh shade of red. He stared at her and she stared back, neither one of them able to speak a word.

"Barry, we need to bring Cisco to the hospital. He's going to go into shock if his body temperature drops any further," Joe said.

Barry swallowed, his Adam's Apple bobbing in his throat. He staggered to his feet and carried Cisco's limp body before speeding out the door.

 _What have I done?_ Caitlin thought. She tried to cry, but her tears were too icy to fall from her eyes. _What have I done? What have I done?_

* * *

"Maybe I shouldn't have left her in that state," Barry murmured. He and Joe were standing outside the glass doors of the laboratory, just within eyeshot of Caitlin in case she needed anything. Barry had just returned from (literally) rushing Cisco to the nearest hospital. His lips were turning blue by the time they had arrived, and his pulse was dying. The doctors, however, assured Barry that his friend would be alright. It was a good thing that Barry was able to bring Cisco as soon as he exhibited signs of hypothermia. If brought much later, the doctors admitted that they wouldn't be able to help.

Hypothermia. Had Caitlin really caused it?

The poor girl was lying on her side, facing away from the doors. Barry's heart clenched as he looked on at her serene figure. He still couldn't wrap his mind around what had transpired a few minutes back, when he had held her hand and suddenly, it was like the _life_ was being sucked out of him. He hated to admit it, but it was almost as if Caitlin was _draining the life out of him_. It was a crazy idea, he knew, but it seemed to be the only logical explanation behind what he had felt, and what had happened to Cisco.

"I don't know what to do," Barry admitted. "If Dr. Wells were here…I mean, the _real_ Dr. Wells…actually…" Barry's words caught up in his throat. He didn't even _know_ what he was trying to say.

"I don't know what to do now either, kiddo," Joe replied with a sigh, stuffing his hands inside the pockets of his coat. "Cisco was able to contact Oliver Queen earlier, but I doubt his team would make it by tonight."

A wave of fatigue washed over Barry as he glanced at the digital clock sitting on Cisco's desk. It read 2:05 am.

"I'll just head into her room and talk to her," Barry thought out loud. "She'll need the company."

Joe looked dubious. "Be careful, Bar. You saw what happened with Cisco."

"She won't hurt me," Barry replied, offering a smile to calm his step-father. And with that, he stepped forward and allowed the glass doors to slide out and let him in.

Caitlin was curled up around her sheets. As Barry walked towards her, he noticed how much paler her skin had become. Her lips were turning blue. She scrambled to sit up as soon as Barry's footsteps became more prominent, her auburn curls falling in a tangled mess around her face.

"Why are you here?" she asked, her voice hoarse. She avoided his eyes, almost as if she felt guilty.

"Hey, what happened to Cisco a while ago wasn't your fault," Barry reassured her. He pulled a seat next to her bed and sat down.

"How do you know it isn't?" Caitlin exclaimed. Her eyes were glassy beads. "He was lying, shaking on the floors. And I was the last person he touched. I-it's got to do something with me."

There was so much _hurt_ in her voice, Barry wanted to pull her into a comforting hug. "Caitlin, you were attacked by H.I.V.E." he told her softly. "Whatever they did to alter your body wasn't your fault."

Caitlin bit her lip, her face contorting. "But they didn't do anything to me besides tie me up and push me to the floor."

"What?"

"I ripped a pipe off from the coolant system."

Barry swallowed. "What happened after that?"

Caitlin glanced down at her hands. "I c-can't remember. The next thing I'm aware of is lying on this bed and reaching for Cisco." She gasped. "And he was so _warm_. I was so cold, but he warmed me up. Barry….I didn't mean to hurt him. I didn't. I'd _never_ hurt my best friends!"

She started sobbing and Barry swore the temperature around her seemed to drop. The glass of water by her bed stand started to fog up…and crystalize into ice.

"Caitlin, look," Barry breathed. Caitlin stopped for a moment and glanced at the glass. Indeed, the water had hardened into ice, but was already starting to melt the moment Caitlin stopped crying.

"Something happened the moment you ripped the pipe from the coolant system," Barry mused, trying to piece the events together. "Caitlin…I don't think I was the only one affected by the Lightning."

Caitlin's face went even paler, if that were possible. "You mean, it wasn't only you, or Cisco, or a ton of the other metahumans running around Central City."

A few months ago, Cisco had also started experiencing effects from the Lightning blast. He could suddenly see between dimensions, explaining that he got a certain "vibe".

Barry shook his head. "Caitlin, you have ice powers or something."

Caitlin looked like she was going to be sick. "But I hurt Cisco. I hurt," she paused and took a breath. "I hurt _you_."

"Cisco's going to be fine," Barry told her. "And hey, I look pretty fine myself, don't I?"

This elicited a smile from the young scientist, but it quickly faded. "I'll never get to hug any of you ever again. It drains you guys of heat. But I know I can't stay cold forever." She opened her mouth to say something, but quickly shut it, shaking her head. "Barry…I'm almost as bad as the villains we catch. My powers will never bring any good."

"Don't say that."

"Barry…do you think I'm evil?"

In that moment, in the pale lighting of the lab and the quiet eeriness of it at two in the morning, Caitlin Snow looked as fragile as glass. In that moment, Barry reached out to her and clasped her hands in his', trying to fight the sting of cold that ran up his arms like he had just hit his elbow hard. He saw how Caitlin's cheeks began to burn with slight color, and how her lips curled up around the edges. "No, Caitlin Snow. You aren't evil. Your heart is pure, and no amount of ice around it will ever change that."

He squeezed her hands and Caitlin gasped.

"Barry..." she murmured. "Don't do this. You'll get hurt."

"I w-won't," Barry managed to gritted teeth. But he _was_ hurting. His muscles stung, his fingers felt frozen solid, and his insides churned like an icy hurricane was sweeping through him.

Then suddenly, Caitlin pulled away. The pain washed away from Barry's system quicker than he expected it to go; he probably had his metahuman abilities to thank for that.

"You actually believe in me," Caitlin murmured. She smiled, and it was her turn to warm Barry's heart.

"I do. And I'll find a cure. I swear, I won't rest until I find one, Caitlin," Barry said.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ **Okay, idk, that was really angst-filled. I hope you guys enjoyed it tho! It's the Flash premiere in a few days, are you guys as excited as I am? I AM DYING OF EXCITEMENT SOMEONE HOLD ME!**

 **Anyway, what do you guys want to see in the succeeding chapters? I'd love to hear from you guys, so please do leave me a review! Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated! I also love receiving prompts from you guys, so keep em coming! I never forget to write prompts because I have a notebook filled up with JUST prompts haha so yeah, you guys are assured that I'd never forget to write your prompt!**


	7. Firsts

_**A/N:**_ **I DID IT, GUYS! I SURVIVED MY FIRST YEAR AS A UNIVERSITY STUDENT!**

 **Anyhow, here's the latest one-shot I was able to come up with. This idea surfaced only a few days ago, inspired by very recent and personal events. Hope you guys enjoy!**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ **STILL DON'T OWN THE FLASH OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS!**

* * *

 **FIRSTS  
** _ **Alternate Universe**_

Barry's apartment, Manhattan  
July 25, Saturday 11:37 pm

"Do you still remember our first date?" Barry asked her, squeezing her hand. They were sitting by the balcony, gazing out on the busy city below them. Manhattan breathed life even thirty minutes to midnight. Caitlin sighed; this was one of the reasons she enjoyed living here so much, there was never a dull moment.

"What's with the sudden nostalgia?" she teased her boyfriend. "Drunk already?"

Barry shook his head, a tease of a smile playing on his lips. "I think firsts are something else."

Caitlin tilted her wine glass up to drain it of its remaining content. The alcohol buzzed in her head, making her feel light. "Well, do you remember how we met?"

Barry snickered. "I asked you for help in biology."

Caitlin crossed her arms over her chest. "Help that you did not need," she murmured. "You were just trying to hit on me."

"Are you complaining?"

"No!"

"Well yeah, I wasn't having a difficult time in biology. I just wanted to get to know you better."

Caitlin smiled. Thinking back to eight years ago at their biology class in university somehow activated butterflies in her stomach. It was like she was eighteen once again, a silent, shy, and studios freshman who rather fancied the boy seated in front of her.

"I remember our first conversation," Caitlin said.

"You do? Well, damn, that's another level of memory abilities entirely," Barry teased.

"You aren't dating a young PhD for nothing," Caitlin countered, flashing him a cheeky smile. "I think it went something like, 'Hey, have you finished the lab homework?'" Caitlin did her best impersonation of Barry.

"I think my voice sounded way sexier than that," Barry defended himself.

"You sounded like a prepubescent boy back in college."

"I did not!"

"Just kidding! Hmm, and I think we worked on the homework together after class that day, right?"

Barry nodded. In the moonlight, Caitlin thought she caught him close his eyes and sigh. "And then I asked you out a few weeks later."

It was Caitlin's turn to nod. "The usual movie and dinner. Classic."

"Except we got the movie schedule wrong – "

"And we weren't able to watch the movie."

"But hey, dinner was pretty good. Those burgers were the best!"

"Your car broke down, though."

"I got it fixed in under an hour!"

"We still got drenched in the rain."

"Caitlin!"

"I'm kidding! Gosh, do you seriously think I'd still be pissed off at that date, eight years later?"

An unreadable expression passed over Barry's face, and Caitlin realized she may have taken it too far. "Were you ever really pissed off then?" Barry asked tentatively, his voice taking on a quieter tone.

"Oh Allen, I was never pissed off." Caitlin reached for his hand, which lay on the arm rest of his chair. She squeezed it tightly. "I enjoyed every second of that date."

"I enjoyed it, too."

They stayed in comfortable silence for a while before Barry spoke up again, "Do you still remember how we admitted to each other?"

Caitlin rolled her eyes. "I'm embarrassed to even think back on that night."

"Hey, how many times do I need to keep reassuring you that drunken Caitlin wasn't the worst thing that happened to me?"

"I just wish it hadn't happened that way," Caitlin murmured, pulling her hand out of Barry's to hide her face. "I wish I could have admitted to you sober, not under the influence of vodka."

Barry reached for her hand again. "But you can admit it any time now, completely sober."

"Yeah, I love you, Bartholomew Allen," Caitlin muttered, though she was already smiling.

"I love you too, Caitlin."

Barry caressed her hand, running his thumb on the back side of her palm. "I first told you I loved you – "

"During a break down I had in class one time," Caitlin finished his sentence. She took a shaky breath, emotions from years ago suddenly coming back. "Looking back at everything that stressed us out back then…I've come to realize that they don't seem too menacing now."

Barry nodded slowly. "School stress, family, relationships," he mused.

"But your 'I love you' helped me that day," Caitlin murmured, bringing them back to the topic at hand.

"Your 'I love you' helps me through every day," Barry said. Caitlin stuck her tongue out.

"You never fail to get all sappy on me," Caitlin laughed.

"Well, what about our first fight?"

Caitlin crossed her arms over her chest. "Really? We go from I-love-you's to our first fight?"

"Well, that's how it usually goes, right?"

Caitlin pursed her lips. She and Barry rarely fought. They usually talked things out before anything could seriously get in the way of the both of them. "After uni," she said softly. The cool wind licked at her cheeks. "We thought things between us were creeping towards a standstill."

Barry huffed. "Yeah. Work got in the way, for some reason. You were busy trying to earn your graduate degrees, and I was busy with the forensics team."

They stayed silent for a while, letting the bitter memories of that time wash over them like the cool, midnight air.

"That sucked," Barry finally said.

"It really did." Caitlin rested her head on Barry's left shoulder. "I hate fighting with you."

"You were the first girl I considered myself 'in love with'," Barry whispered into her hair. She smelled of fragrant flowers, a scent that had become calming for him over the years.

"'Were'?" Caitlin teased. "As in, past tense?"

"'Are'," Barry corrected himself, though he was grinning. His breath tickled Caitlin's neck. "You are the first girl I loved. As well as the last."

Caitlin turned to face him, and he brought his lips down to hers. She tasted of red wine, sweet and strong. He pulled her against him, and out of habit, she crawled into his lap. The past eight years had built their foundation well; they had everything about them memorized: each other's bodies, their cravings, their desires, their wants, their needs. They were hardly two different individuals anymore; just one couple madly in love.

Barry slanted his mouth against Caitlin's, feeling her tongue graze his lower lip; a habit she usually did when they kissed. He let his fingers tangle in her hair, his other hand interlacing with hers.

"I love you," Caitlin breathed against his skin as he kissed down her neck. "I love you, Barry Allen."

His kissed down until her collarbone as she breathed into his scalp. Finally, he pulled away. Caitlin's hair was slightly dishelved and her eyes shone brightly. "Caitlin," he murmured as she rested her forehead on his'. "Caitlin, will you marry me?"

"Oh my God." She lowered herself to kiss him again, a slow, lingering kiss. "Oh my God. Barry, yes, of course I'd marry you."

"I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with my first love," Barry continued. "I don't think there are a lot of people in this world who can confidently say that they're marrying their first love."

"I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you, either," she said.

"Oh God, this is it, huh?"

Caitlin laughed. "Yes, I said yes, Allen. Now, pour ourselves another glass and kiss me again. Or else, I'll take it back."

He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her.

And just like that, they were off to add more 'firsts' to their growing list.

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 _ **A/N:**_ **Whoops, this one-shot turned out sappier than I saw it becoming! HAHA oh well, I hope you guys enjoyed the sappy Snowbarry! Firsts are adorable, aren't they? Do you guys believe the phrase, 'first love never dies?' Hit me up with your thoughts in your reviews!**


	8. Goodbye

_**A/N:**_ **Writing this on New Year's Eve! I think it's become some sort of a tradition of mine to let my fingers roam free on the keyboard as the hour hand ticks closer to midnight, a new year, a fresh start.**

 **Admittedly, the past months have been rough on me. School has been terribly stressful, family situations have not been favorable, my love life has been on the edge, my mental health has been going haywire. Yeah, it sounds like a lot, but I'm surviving. Definitely tired, but still alive.**

 **I wanted so badly to write a happy chapter for New Year's Eve, but I think I have to let out my inner turmoil through writing; writing has always been a great form of release and therapy for me.**

 **I hope you guys enjoy this one-shot despite it being quite emotion-laden. Cheers to the New Year! May 2017 be a better year!**

 **P.S. This one-shot is dedicated to all those who feel trapped in a relationship. It may hurt, but leaving a toxic relationship will save you, and your loved one.**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ **I don't own The Flash!**

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GOODBYE

 _I may not be in love with you anymore, but I will always love you. Thank you for the wonderful year together. Cheers to the new year, and may our friendship continue to flourish._

S.T.A.R. Labs

Saturday, 1:33 am

 _Dearest Barry,_

The past ten months that we've been together have been, without a doubt, great months. Not _the_ greatest months, as I remember how you'd always tell me that you can't be the center of my life. Relationships are about two people who are independent of each other, yet choose to be with one another.

I've learned so much from you: how to forgive, how to keep my patience, how to love. Yeah, a bunch of deep stuff, but I've also learned pretty mundane things from my time with you. Remember when you got hurt while kicking some shape-shifter's ass, and I had to drive you back to S.T.A.R. Labs using a truck? Cars are no problem to me, but that night was dark and stormy, and the truck was humongous, and I was scared, oh God I was scared we'd finally lose you, Barry.

It hurts me so much to choose to leave, but I had to. For my sake, for yours. For ours. If I had stayed, things would have gone down the drain even more. You're still a very important person to me and I'd rather have you as a friend in my life, than not at all.

Of course, memories will always haunt me. The first time we held hands at the park, when you slipped yours into mine, catching me off-guard as you laced your fingers with mine. Sweaty palms, clammy hands, butterflies in stomach; it was the best combination of sensations. The first time I kissed you on the cheek, throwing my arms around your neck and suddenly finding it in me to give you a light peck. You went all red then and locked me in an embrace so tight, I thought you wouldn't let me go. I wish you hadn't. Our first fight, when you called me up at 2am with all the thoughts in your head, ready to shout at me, but all we did for the first ten minutes was sit in in utter silence, taking in each other's breaths. Our first I-love-you's, muttered in the dark of that phone conversation. Our first kiss, outside a club, your hands in my hair, mine under your shirt. We were sober, drunk only on the passion of our love.

Our love story will always linger at the back of my memory, in my heart. You've given me too much to remember that it'd be impossible to forget. It'll hurt seeing you still every day at S.T.A.R. Labs, knowing I can't sneak in a kiss or a hug, or even a sweet I-love-you, but I will always care deeply for you, Barry Allen.

It hurts so much to say goodbye to this relationship, but I know that we need to let go of this to gain something even better. I hope your future girlfriend treats you well. You deserve all the love in the world, Barry. You deserve someone who will love you for your superpowers and your speed, but also someone who will love you for your fears, doubts, anxieties, troubles.

I may not be in love with you anymore, but I will always love you. Thank you for the wonderful year together. Cheers to the new year, and may our friendship continue to flourish.

With all my heart,

Caitlin Snow

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 _ **A/N:**_ _that hurt so much to write, but it was also a good release for me. Please tell me what you think of this emotional piece in your reviews! Any ideas for the next chapter will also be great. Thanks for sticking around, guys! Cheers to 2017, a new year that will hopefully be great to all of us!_


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